Fruits for Dogs: What’s Good and What’s Not Good for Your Pet?

As a pet owner, it is very common to want to spoil the four-legged member of your family by sharing your favorite snacks or some table scraps with them. If you can eat it, why can’t they, right? Sadly, this doesn’t apply at all times. While most human foods, mainly fruits, and veggies, are considered safe, there are some found to be extremely unhealthy if not downright dangerous for Fido.

Canines digest their food differently from humans, and when they eat the wrong foods, this can result in long term health issues, or worse, even death. Since they are carnivores by nature, they don’t really need vegetables and fruits as part of their daily diet although there is nothing wrong with giving them a veggie or fruit to munch on now and then.

But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all foods for humans are off limits for your pet. Read below to know the best fruits for dogs that you can give in moderation and which must remain on your plate and not shared with them at all.

Top 10 Safe Fruits for Dogs

1. Bananas

When given in moderation, bananas are among the best low calorie treats for your canines. These fruits have a high amount of potassium, copper, fiber, biotin and vitamins. These are also low in sodium and cholesterol but just remember that due to their high content of sugar, bananas must only be given to your pet in the form of treats and not as part of their regular diet.

2 .Watermelon

is also one of the fruits dogs can eat. Just make sure that you remove the seeds and rind first since these can cause some intestinal blockage. Once removed, watermelon is a very safe fruit for your pet. The fruit is also rich in vitamins C, B-6 and A, and it also has a high amount of potassium. The watermelon fruit is composed of 92 percent of water which makes it an ideal treat that will keep your pet properly hydrated especially during the hottest days of summer.

3. Apples

Yes, apples are included in the list of healthy fruits for dogs. These fruits are a wonderful source of vitamins C and A. These fruits are known for their high fiber content ideal for your pet. These are low in fat and protein, which make them a great snack for the senior dogs. However, you must not forget to remove the core and seeds first. You can try to freeze the fruits and serve them as an icy snack for warmer weather.

4. Strawberries

If you are curious to know what fruits dogs can eat, you will surely find strawberries as part of the list. These fruits are found to be rich in vitamin C and fiber. Aside from these, the fruits also contain a particular enzyme which can help in making the teeth of your dog whiter as he eats these fruits. A simple reminder, though, is the fact that strawberries have high sugar content so just like other fruits in this list, see to it that you only give these in moderation.

5. Blueberries

Blueberries have long been considered as super foods as these are rich in antioxidants that help prevent cases of cell damage. The good news is that this ability is not only applicable to humans but even to canines. These sweet treats are also packed with phytochemicals and fiber as well. Do you want to teach your pet to catch treats you throw in the air? You can always use blueberries as a fantastic replacement for the usual treats you buy in stores.

6. Pineapple

Among the healthy fruits for dogs is none other than pineapple. Several chunks of this fruit can serve as a fantastic sweet treat for canines provided that you remove first the prickly outside part. This tropical fruit is rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins. This also contains bromelain, which contains an enzyme which makes this easier for your pet to absorb the much-needed proteins.

7. Oranges

If you have a smaller dog, you can give him as much as 1/3 of a full sized orange. But, for the bigger pets, they can have the whole fruit. Although the peel of oranges is not toxic for canines, vets recommend to toss the peel away and just give your pet the inside of the fruit, less the seeds since the skin is tougher on their digestive systems compared to the fleshy part of the orange.

8. Mango

Mangoes are a favorite treat, especially during summer. Mangoes are also ideal fruits for dogs packed with four vitamins. Yes, you have read that right. Mangoes are discovered to contain four vitamins namely vitamins A, C, E, and B6. These fruits also have potassium as well as both alpha carotene and beta carotene. But then again, just like with most of the fruits you can find on this list, make sure that you remove the fruit’s hard pit first since this contains some amounts of cyanide, not to mention that it is also a potential choking hazard.

9. Raspberries

When given in moderation, raspberries are perfectly fine for your pet. These contain antioxidants which are ideal for dogs. These are also low in calories and sugar but found to be high in vitamin C, manganese and fiber. Raspberries are particularly great for the senior canines since these have anti-inflammatory properties that can help get rid of the pressure and pain in the points. However, raspberries do contain some amounts of Xylitol, a form of toxin, so make sure that you limit your pet to less than one cup of these fruits at a time.

10. Pears

Pears are one of the best fruits for dogs because they are high in copper, vitamins K, C, and fiber. It is believed that eating fruits may reduce the risk of having a stroke by 50%. Just make sure to cut the pears into small chunks and get rid of the seeds and pit first for the reason that the seeds contain some amount of cyanide. These are just some of the best fruits for dogs that you can share with your pet. However, there are several fruits which can be very dangerous for your pet and have to be avoided at all costs.

Top 10 Bad Fruits for Dogs

1. Grapes

It is not good for dogs for the reason that they might experience adverse effects once they eat either raisins or grapes. Green or purple, seedless or seeded, it does not seem to matter. Within several hours of ingesting of grapes, dogs have been observed to start having fits of excessive urination and vomiting. Within a few days, dogs have experienced kidney failure, lapsed into coma, and died from eating grapes. Once you see your dog eat some grapes, the finest course of action is proceeding directly to a vet who will induce vomiting. Not every dog reacts in this way to raisins or grapes, yet it’s really worth taking the chance. Since the cause of the reaction of the dogs to grapes is unknown, it’s best to keep grapes or any products or byproducts away from all dogs.

2. Peaches

The flesh of peaches may be delicious and there is no doubt about that. Nevertheless, the peach’s pit contains cyanide, which is dangerous to everyone. Cyanide could seep out from the pit into the tender meat of peach that’s closest to the center. The same rule applies to plums and some fruits with a solid seed at the center. The risk to the digestive tract of a dog is also high with pitted fruits. Apart from the core’s natural poison, the seed is big enough to block or obstruct the intestines of your dog.

3. Cherries

With the exception of the flesh part around the seed, the cherry plants have cyanide and toxic to your dogs. Cyanide disrupts the transport of cellular oxygen, which means that the blood cells of the dogs cannot get enough oxygen. If a dog eats cherries, always observe him and be on the lookout for difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, and red gums because these could be the signs of cyanide poisoning.

4. Avocado

While avocados might be a nutritious snack for people, you should not give it to dogs. The skin, leaves, and pit of an avocado contain Persin, which is a toxin that frequently causes diarrhea and vomiting in dogs. The fruit’s fleshy inside does not have as much Persin as the rest of the fruit, yet it’s still too much for some dogs to handle.

5. Currants

While you could be familiar with raisins and grapes being harmful to dogs, currants could catch you by surprise. However, currants carry the same severe toxicity level that raisins and grapes do. Although you do not notice sudden vomiting as well as diarrhea after your dog has consumed currants, take your dog to vets. Just like some small fruits, currants may cause severe renal failure.

6. Apricot

Like the seeds, cherries, stems, and leaves of apricot are toxic to a dog. While dogs may consume the fruit’s pulp with no ill effects, you have to take caution once your dog has access to any parts of the fruit. Apricots also contain cyanide and may result to respiratory failure and worse, death.

7. Figs

In several dogs, the figs may cause an allergic reaction. It will not do much harm if you give just a small amount of fig to your pet. Nevertheless, more than 1 or 2 figs every week might cause diarrhea, so even though your dog is not allergic, you might want to limit consumption. As figs are not cheap, you are probably better off with more affordable fruit treats like the bananas.

8. Starfruit

Eating starfruits is a big no for dogs because these may affect their kidney even if consumed in just small amount as much as an ounce per different reports. Starfruits contain soluble oxalate salts that once ingested get attached to the calcium, which results to lowering its level. Another adverse effect that is caused by starfruits is that an oxalate crystal present in this bind with calcium, getting absorbed in kidneys, thus resulting in inflammation and calcification.

9. Persimmons

Even though the persimmon berry isn’t toxic to the dog, it may cause stomach upset. In addition to that, the seed is a harmful culprit. The persimmon pit may pose a choking hazard and could inflame the small intestine of your dog. It is filled with cyanide.

10. Plums

Its pit also has cyanide. Its seed may cause an obstruction in the smaller dog’s digestive tract and could cause a choking hazard.

Tips When Feeding Fruits to Your Dogs

It is easy to feed fruits to your pet. You may consider this a reward for them after training. If you are not sure of what you’re doing, below are the tips you may take into account:

Avoid feeding dogs any seeds and pits. Even if not every seed is known to cause problems, it’s better to be safe than sorry. What’s known to be toxic or problematic are apricot pits, apple seeds, plum pits, nectarine pits, peach pits, and cherry pits.

Several dogs do not like raw fruits. You can try mashing them into their foods or adding some as an ingredient when making homemade dog treats. You may also use fruit juice, yet ensure that it’s 100% fruit juice and no added sugar.

If you can, try introducing small portions of fruits to dog when he’s still young. He might be more likely to eat and love it.

Clean fruits thoroughly before giving them to your dogs.

Offer your dog a small portion of fruit only, particularly the first time feeding them to dogs. Although fruits are good for canines, fruits aren’t calorie-free. In addition to that, you do not know if your dog will have allergic or some adverse reactions including upset stomach or gas.